Lawton Bars and Nightclubs to Re-Open This Friday

Well the wait's almost over. Lawton bars, taverns and nightclubs will finally re-open this Friday (05-15-20).

It's been a long time and I know the owners, operators and staff will be excited to return to work and to see all their usual customers. The feeling is mutual as most people are anxious to return to some type of normalcy and to their favorite bar. So now we'll have restaurants and bars, we're slowly but surely returning to the "Good Ol' Days."

Of course the safety and well being of patrons is the primary concern of both the establishments themselves and State and local governments as well. The re-opening of bars, nightclubs and taverns follows the State recommended OURS (Open Up and Recover Safely) plan and is a part of Phase II. All of the familiar CDC recommendations will continue to be followed like social distancing, sanitation protocols and limited occupancy regulations.

There's a lot of guidelines and mandatory actions that have to be strictly adhered to in order to re-open and stay open. The City of Lawton has outlined these in their official COVID-19 response and documents. You can find all the details here. Most bars have already started getting ready and getting everything up to code for this Friday. However several others are still in the process, or may not re-open until things improve and not require so much additional work and expense.

Along with bars the OURS Phase II also opens up or allows the return of organized sporting events, funerals and weddings, children's nursery areas and places of worship. Of course all CDC COVID-19 protocols must be followed.

Whether you agree or disagree about the OURS Phase II plan and the re-opening of various businesses and events you can of course decide for yourself what you're comfortable with doing. Go or stay away, it's totally up to you. Some say it's too early, others say it should have never been locked down in the first place. So what are your plans for this weekend? Will it included going to the bars? Take the poll and let us know what you're thinking...